Download about adventure musical theater touring company

ABOUT THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
Since 1926, the magnificent 5th Avenue Theatre has captivated audiences with
outstanding performances of all types. In the early days, people eagerly lined up
for first-class vaudeville shows, featuring the top touring entertainers of the day. The
Theatre later transformed itself into a popular movie palace. In the late 1970s, The
5th Avenue Theatre fell on hard times, but was saved from a wrecking ball by a
visionary group of businesses and community leaders.
Today, audiences come to The 5th Avenue Theater to see the world premieres of
locally-produced, exciting new musicals and expertly mounted productions of both
contemporary and Golden Age of Broadway hits, along with latest touring offerings
from New York. Under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director
David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin and Producing Artistic
Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theater attracts an annual attendance of more
than 300,000 patrons and ranks among the nation’s largest and most respected
theater companies.
In addition to its mainstage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed
to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive
Educational and Outreach Programs which include: Adventure Musical Theater
Touring Company; The 5th Avenue Awards: Honoring High School Musical Theater;
the Rising Star Project; Show Talks with Albert Evans; Spotlight Nights; and a host of
classes and workshops, and special events for audiences of all ages.
OUR MISSION
To nurture, advance and preserve all aspects of America’s great indigenous artform: The Musical. We achieve this by creating extraordinary theatrical experiences
that enrich, entertain, and inspire current and future audiences everywhere.
OUR VISION
To be the pre-eminent musical theater company in the world - achieving the highest
levels of artistic achievement, production quality, audience engagement, and
community impact.
OUR ARTISTIC PHILOSOPHY
We are committed to the preservation of the historic and irreplaceable 5th Avenue
Theatre as a cultural center for the region.
We are dedicated to achieving consistently high standards of excellence by
showcasing world-class performers and creative artists, utilizing full live orchestras,
and staging exceptional and imaginative productions. We place special emphasis
on the employment of our outstanding regional community of performers,
technicians, and theater professionals.
Each season, we program a vibrant and dynamic mix of productions that attract,
delight, and retain a large and diverse audience and reflect the broad scope and
cultural significance of the American Musical - past, present, and future.
We ensure our future by serving as a creative incubator for the production of New
Works, by engaging our community through Educational programming of the
highest caliber, and by maintaining exceptional standards of fiscal responsibility.
1
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
ABOUT ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER TOURING COMPANY
Since 1994, The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Adventure Musical Theater Touring Company has brought the wonder
and joy of live musical theater to elementary and middle school students throughout the Northwest. Adventure
Musical Theater musicals engage youth through storytelling, song and dance. Our productions are created by
local composers and writers and tell the stories of our region’s unique history and culture. Adventure Musical
Theater productions are designed to incorporate standards-based educational content.
This study guide has been created and compiled for educators to engage students before and after seeing
the production of The Mercer Girls.
The 5th Avenue Theatre supports teachers of all disciplines in their efforts
to incorporate musical theater into core curriculum and to introduce
young minds to all art forms.
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
2
DAVID ARMSTRONG
Executive Producer &
Artistic Director
BERNADINE C. GRIFFIN
Managing Director
BILL BERRY
Producing Artistic Director
PRESENTS
WRITTEN BY
SUZY CONN
STARRING
(in alphabetical order)
EVAN BARRETT
STEPHANIE BULL
RIANNA HIDALGO
TRENT MOURY
MARISSA RYDER
DANNI KREIHBEL
NICHOLAS TARABINI
TOUR MANAGER
LAUREN RUHL
COSTUME DESIGNER
RACHEL KUNZE WILKIE
ORIGINAL SET DESIGN
KRISTEN ZAVORSKA
MUSIC SUPERVISOR
KAT SHERRELL
MUSIC DIRECTION
CHELSEA GREENWOOD
PRODUCTION LOGISTICS
COORDINATOR
MO CHAPMAN
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
AND OUTREACH
ANYA RUDNICK
DIRECTED BY
BRANDON IVIE
WORDS TO KNOW: MUSICAL THEATER TERMINOLOGY
MONOLOGUE
ACTION
A long speech by one actor in a play.
What the actors do on stage physically to tell
the story.
MUSIC DIRECTOR
BACKSTAGE
Teaches and rehearses the music with the
orchestra and actors.
The part of the theater that is unseen by the
audience. Includes the dressing rooms, wing
space, and Green Room.
PROPS
In a musical, the book is the script, referring in
particular to the words the characters speak,
instead of sing.
Small handheld items used by the actors in a
production (e.g., purses, hats, canes, parasols,
notebooks, cups, etc.). Can also refer to set
pieces that are used to make the scenery more
complete (chairs, pictures, baskets, rugs, etc.)
CHOREOGRAPHER
SET DESIGNER
BOOK
The person who creates and teaches the dance
numbers (and sometimes other specialized
movement) for the production.
COMPOSER
The person who creates the design for the
scenery for the stage.
STAGE LEFT
The person who writes the music.
The actor’s left-hand side when the actor is
standing onstage looking at the audience.
COSTUME DESIGNER
STAGE MANAGER
The person who creates the look of the
costumes for the show.
DIALOGUE
A conversation between two or more actors
in a play.
DIRECTOR
The person who creates the overall vision for the
show. Guides the creative team (the designers)
to create a look and feel for the production and
works with the actors.
DOWNSTAGE
The part of the stage closest to the audience.
ENSEMBLE
A group of actors, singers, and dancers
performing in a show.
Assists the director and runs the show from
curtain up to close. Calls all of the sound and
lighting cues. In charge of the flow of the activity
taking place both onstage and backstage.
STAGE RIGHT
The actor’s right-hand side when the actor is
standing onstage looking at the audience.
UPSTAGE
The part of the stage furthest away from the
audience.
WING SPACE
The areas located just offstage on either side of
the stage. This is the area where actors generally
enter and exit. It is also where some props and set
pieces are stored.
LYRICIST
Writes the words to the music.
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
4
ABOUT THE WRITER
SUZY CONN is a musical theater composer, lyricist, and librettist
interested in telling the stories of women throughout history.
Chick Flick the Musical tells a contemporary story of female friendship.
Suffra-Jets (first performed at New York Musical Festival as Plane Crazy)
tells the story of the emergence of the modern women's movement
set against the backdrop of the swinging 60s Jet Age. Cocktail Nuts
tells the story of cocktail waitresses in the ‘70s; and Comicon the
Musical is a contemporary story of self-discovery.
Theater for Young Audiences shows include The Tale of Pigling Bland;
Field Trip: Journey to Mount Saint Helens; Larry Gets Lost in Seattle;
Daisy the Firecow; Save As...; and The Last Shot.
Suzy has taught musical theater writing in the Seattle area for the
Village Theatre’s Kidstage program, and served as the writing mentor
for three years for their Company Originals program.
Suzy Conn
THE MERCER GIRLS COME TO SEATTLE
The Mercer Girls, a musical with book, music, and lyrics, by Suzy
Conn, is based on a true story. In the 1860s, Asa Shinn Mercer,
president (and faculty) of Seattle’s new Territorial University and
brother of Judge Thomas Mercer (for whom Mercer Island is
named), twice journeyed back East to recruit young unmarried
women for a life in the Pacific Northwest.
MERCER’S PLAN
Why did Asa Mercer propose to bring single women to Seattle?
The population of Washington Territory, which was considered a
rough, even primitive, frontier country, was overwhelmingly male.
Men outnumbered women nine to one, and most women in the
Northwest were already married or spoken for. The problem was
so urgent that in 1860, 96 bachelors living on Puget Sound held a
meeting to discuss “ways and means to secure this much-needed
and desirable emigration” of women (L. Milton Woods, Asa Shinn Mercer, 24).
Asa Mercer
There was, however, another motivation for men of Seattle to marry. The Donation Land Act, passed
by Congress in1850, provided 320 acres of land to any husband and wife in the Northwest Territory
(consisting of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho). The law was intended to encourage homesteaders
to settle in the Pacific Northwest, and while a bachelor could acquire 160 acres, the amount was
doubled if he married. The husband and wife would each own half the land in their own names, so
the Donation Land Act was one of the first laws in America allowing married women to own their own
property.
5
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
In the meantime, many of the Eastern states were experiencing the opposite situation: a shortage of
men and a surplus of unmarried women. Many women and girls had been left widows and orphans
as a result of the Civil War; in addition, many were unemployed because the cotton mills, deprived of
their Southern supplies, had shut down. Asa Mercer came up with his “female immigration scheme”
as a way to solve these problems by transporting New England women to the Pacific Northwest.
MERCER TRAVELS TO LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS
Mercer tried to convince William Pickering, the governor of the Washington Territory, to contribute to
his plan. Although Pickering approved of Mercer’s idea, he pointed out that there were not enough
public funds to finance it. By 1864, having raised the money for his trip by soliciting donations,
Mercer found his way to Lowell, Massachusetts, a textile town experiencing hard times. Once in
Lowell, he gave a fervent public address, emphasizing the beauty of Washington Territory and the
financial opportunities for young women who might make their livings as dressmakers, teachers,
or housemaids. He did not emphasize marriage in his speech, probably believing the respectable
ladies he wished to recruit would not want to be labeled as “husband hunters.”
Although Mercer was hoping to sign up about fifty prospective brides, he ultimately managed to
recruit only eight young women to make the journey out West. Later they would be joined by two
women from Pepperell and another from Boston, making the total number eleven. Among those
who accompanied Mercer on this first journey were Antoinette Josephine Baker, 25; Ann Murphy,
24; Sarah Cheney, 22; Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ordway, 35; Aurelia Coffin, 20; Josephine (Josie) Pearson, 19;
Sara Jane Gallagher, 19; and Georgianna (Georgia) Pearson, 15. The ladies who joined them later
were Catherine Adams Stickney, 28; Catherine Clement Stevens, 21; and Annie May Adams, 16. Josie
and Georgia Pearson were traveling with their father, Daniel Pearson, who thought that the move
to Washington Territory might improve his health; his wife Susan, his son Daniel, and his youngest
daughter Flora were left behind. Two years later, they would join Asa Mercer’s second expedition from
New England to Seattle.
Mercer and the ladies left New York on March 14 of 1864 aboard the steamboat (S.S.) Illinois, which
carried 786 other passengers. They arrived in Panama on March 24; they then crossed the isthmus
by train, a trip of only 45 miles, to reach Panama City and the Pacific. There they boarded the S.S.
America, which would take them to California.
THE FIRST EXPEDITION ARRIVES IN SEATTLE
On April 19, 1864, the America arrived in San Francisco, where a number of California men tried
earnestly to persuade the Mercer Girls to stay. Asa Mercer had intended to take a steamer from
California to Seattle, but the party had missed the ship’s monthly passage; rather than wait another
month, Mercer decided to engage a lumber bark, the Torrent. The Mercer party took the bark Torrent
to Port Gamble, and they traveled on a sloop for the final trek to Seattle, where they arrived in the
middle of the night on Sunday, May 15, 1864. The ladies were escorted to Seattle’s only hotel to
spend the night and invited to a reception in their honor the next day.
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
6
WHO WERE THE MERCER GIRLS?
Here are some brief descriptions of the men and women who traveled to Seattle in 1864.
ELIZABETH “LIZZIE” ORDWAY, 35, was the oldest of the first
Mercer Girls. A friend described her as “admired for her charm
and wit, a clever and interesting conversationalist who loved
a good argument, and Washington’s first career woman.”
She would remain unmarried by choice and became
the first public school teacher in Seattle as well as the first
superintendant in Kitsap County. In 1870 she would open the
first school building erected in the Seattle school district, the
Central School. Lizzie Ordway was also one of the first active
feminists in the Puget Sound area; she and Mrs. Sarah Yesler
founded the local Female Suffrage Society together.
ANNIE MAY ADAMS, 16, had intended to travel as far as San Francisco,
but she was influenced by her time with the other Mercer Girls to change her mind.
JOSIE PEARSON (left), 19, traveled to Seattle
with her sister GEORGIANNA (known as
GEORGIA), 15, and her father, DANIEL (46).
Josie and Georgia’s father had been ill and it
was thought that his health would improve in
the Northwest. The girls’ mother, Susan, their
younger sister Flora, and their brother Daniel
remained behind, but they would come to
Seattle on Mercer’s second expedition.
SARAH CHENEY, 22, had graduated at the head
of her Lowell High School class; she would teach
art and music at Seattle’s Territorial University.
7
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
SARAH JANE GALLAGHER, 19, was educated at the Boston
Conservatory of Music, where she studied the organ. After
traveling to Seattle, she would become the first music teacher
at the Territorial University.
ANTOINETTE JOSEPHINE BAKER, 25, was already working as
a teacher in Lowell, but Asa Mercer promised her a position
at Seattle’s Territorial University; she was one of the university’s
first teachers. She was an ardent lover of flowers and devoted
much time to gardening and sending bouquets to her friends.
CATHERINE CLEMENT STEVENS, 21, joined Mercer’s group in
New York; she was traveling with her father, Rudolphus Stevens
and her cousin Catherine Stickney, 28.
AURELIA COLMAN COFFIN, 20, known as “Lillie,” would teach for many years at Port Ludlow.
ASA MERCER, 26, who had just been elected president of
the Territorial University in Seattle, traveled from Seattle to
Lowell, Massachusetts, and recruited 11 young women to
travel back to the Pacific Northwest, where young unmarried
women were scarce. He promised the ladies profitable work
as teachers or seamstresses. Although he did not emphasize
this in his speeches, he also hoped to increase the number of
marriageable women in the territory. He explained to the New
York Times that he considered “the great elevating, refining, and
moralizing element” to be “true women.”
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
8
WRITING EXERCISE
Name: ____________________________________________________________Date:_______________
FOR GRADES 1-2
Draw a picture of a woman in your family (mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, etc) who you consider
a risk-taker. Write a few sentences about what makes her a risk-taker and what lessons you have
learned from her.
FOR GRADES 3-8
Write a short biography of a woman in your family (mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, etc) who you
consider a “pioneer”. Think about a situation in which she had to overcome her fears and take a
risk. Describe the situation and what she learned (or didn’t learn) from the experience. Use as many
details as possible, including age, gender, occupation, hobbies and interests. (Use back of page if
necessary.)
9
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
WHAT IS HISTORICAL FICTION?
The musical The Mercer Girls by Suzy Conn is a work of historical fiction.
HISTORICAL FICTION makes use of historical events or people to create a story that is partly true and
partly made up. The writer of historical fiction may include some characters who were real people
and others who are imaginary; may include some incidents that actually happened and others that
are completely invented or that the writer speculates might have happened; may use the actual
words that historical figures are recorded to have said, but may also add dialogue or thoughts that
the writer speculates they might have said or thought.
Good writers of historical fiction carefully study the time period in which their story is set and learn all
they can about the real people involved in their story. They also look carefully at people whose lives
might resemble the “made up” characters in their story.
The following newspaper account of Asa Mercer’s speech to the young ladies of Lowell,
Massachusetts, in 1864 is an example of a primary resource because it is a document written by
someone who actually witnessed the event that is being described.
FROM THE LOWELL DAILY COURIER, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27TH, 1864:
Mr. Mercer of Washington Territory gave his promised address last evening to a fair
audience in Rev. Mr. Hinkley’s vestry. His account of this young and rising territory,
scarcely in its teens, but full of ample resources, only awaiting development, was
listened to with evident interest. Mr. M. has resided some three years on the borders
of Puget’s Sound. The people of that region are for the most part, of Eastern and New
England origin. Government has made liberal provision for educational purposes by
grants of land, and considerable progress has been made, but there is a great want of
teachers, and it is Mr. Mercer’s purpose about the middle of February to return with a
company of recruits for this service, promising remunerative employment immediately
on their arrival. Persons who are accepted will be required to pay their passage to
San Francisco only. Beyond that point Mr. M. will be responsible for expenses. Several
young ladies in Groton are already enrolled for this enterprise, and it is reported that
some in this city are favorably disposed. Mr. M. leaves for Groton to-day, but will visit
our city again prior to his departure for the Pacific coast.
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER 10
The following is an excerpt from the script of the musical, The Mercer Girls, in which you can see how
writer Suzy Conn tells the story in words and song of Asa Mercer’s speech to the
young ladies of Lowell.
From The Mercer Girls by Suzy Conn
LIZZIE
Mother, listen to this announcement!
LIZZIE (sings)
GO WEST YOUNG WOMAN
THERE IS TO BE A MEETING
AT REVEREND HINKLEY’S CHURCH
LIZZIE, MR. PEARSON, ASA MERCER (sings)
IMAGINE PAID EMPLOYMENT FROM THE MOMENT YOU ARRIVE
ASA (sings)
AS WELL RESPECTED TEACHERS
LIZZIE (sings)
IT’S THE CHANCE FOR ME TO THRIVE
LIZZIE, MR. PEARSON, ASA MERCER (sings)
ONE BREATH OF THAT PACIFIC AIR AND YOU’LL KNOW YOU’RE ALIVE
GO WEST YOUNG WOMAN GO WEST!
ASA
Good evening, ladies. I’m glad to see such a strong turnout.
LIZZIE
Sir, who will pay for the voyage?
ASA (sings)
AH, YES, THE CLIMATE IN THE NORTHWEST
LIKE NOTHING ELSE I KNOW
FAIR AND MILD, HEAVENLY
AND WINTER WITHOUT FLAKES OF SNOW
LIZZIE
What about all of the rain in Seattle?
ASA
Oh no, the bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle—never a grey day!
LIZZIE
Really? I checked in The Farmer’s Almanac and it reports Seattle can get over twelve inches
of rain in a month, with frequent flooding!
ASA
11 THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
Ah…did I mention the accommodations?
ASA (sings)
GO WEST, YOUNG WOMAN, AND TRAVEL THERE IN FIRST CLASS
HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO
ANNIE
Oooooh, first class!
ASA (sings)
A SMALL SUM OF TWO FIFTY SURELY HELPS SECURE YOUR WAY
HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT I WON’T LET YOUR MONEY GO ASTRAY
AND ONCE YOU REACH SEATTLE’S SHORES IT’S THERE YOU’LL WANT TO STAY
EVERYONE (sings)
GO WEST, YOUNG WOMAN, GO WEST
LIZZIE
Mr. Mercer, we will be reimbursed, of course?
(Music stops. Asa considers this idea.)
ASA
Pay you back? I . . . uh . . . well . . .
LIZZIE
Mr. Mercer?
ASA
Full reimbursement? I guarantee it!
CONNECTIONS FOR GRADES 4-8
• What details has Suzy Conn’s script added to the known facts about Asa Mercer’s speech in Lowell in 1864?
• What methods does Asa Mercer use to persuade the women to go to Seattle with him?
• How does each young woman respond to Asa’s song? Which ones are more skeptical? Which ones are more easily convinced?
• Why is Lizzie Ordway suspicious of Asa?
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER 12
TIMELINE OF THE FIRST
VOYAGE OF THE MERCER GIRLS
JANUARY 26, 1864:
Asa Mercer speaks at public meetings in Lowell,
Massachusetts, and recruits eight young women to
travel with him to Seattle. Three other women join
this group in New York so that the total is eleven.
MARCH 14, 1864:
The Mercer Party leaves New York on the
steamship Illinois, headed for Panama.
MARCH 24, 1864:
Mercer and his party arrive in Aspinwall, Panama.
They then travel the 25 miles across the isthmus
by train. Mercer discovers that their steamer has
been delayed due to a leaky boiler, forcing them to
check into a local hotel in Panama City and wait.
APRIL 3, 1864:
The Mercer Party finally leave Panama City
at midnight on board the S.S. America.
APRIL 19, 1864:
Asa Mercer and the Mercer Girls arrive in San Francisco,
where they discover that they have missed the steamer
that was engaged to take them to Seattle. They are
greeted by many Californian men, who try to convince
the girls to stay in San Francisco.
13 THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
APRIL 28, 1864:
Wishing to avoid more hotel bills, Mercer
arranges for passage on a much less luxurious
vessel: a lumber barge called the Torrent.
MAY 15, 1864:
The Torrent drops Mercer and his party off at
Teekalet (now known as Port Gamble). Mill hands
and loggers meet the boat, as the appearance of
so many women is a novelty in the area.
MAY 16, 1864:
The Mercer Party departs on the sloop
Kidder and continues their trip to Seattle.
MAY 16, 1864:
Mercer and the Mercer Girls arrive in Seattle
exhausted at 11:00 p.m. Very few citizens are
there to welcome them, but the ladies are
escorted to Seattle’s only hotel.
MAY 17, 1864:
A reception is held for Asa Mercer and his
party in which they are welcomed for the “selfsacrificing spirit they had manifested in leaving
the loved firesides of happy homes to plod life’s
weary way on the North Western coast.”
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER 14
THE VOYAGE OF THE MERCER GIRLS
MAY 16, 1864:
The Mercer Party arrives in Seattle.
APRIL 18, 1864:
The Mercer Party leaves San
Francisco aboard a lumber barge.
MARCH 14, 1864:
The Mercer Party departs New York
on The S.S. Illinois.
APRIL 13, 1864:
The Mercer Party leaves Panama City
aboard The S.S. America.
MARCH 24, 1864:
15 THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
The Mercer Party travels by train
across the Isthmus of Panama .
EXERCISE:
DRAW A MAP OF YOUR “JOURNEY” FROM HOME TO SCHOOL THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER 16
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MERCER GIRLS
AFTER THEY ARRIVED IN SEATTLE?
ANNIE MAY ADAMS had intended to remain in San Francisco, but she was influenced by her time
with the other Mercer Girls to change her mind. By December of 1864, she had married Robert G.
Head, a journalist, and moved to Olympia, where they had three children.
JOSIE PEARSON was engaged to teach at a school on Whidbey Island; however, after only three
months in the Northwest, she collapsed and died of a heart attack one evening while walking
home from school. Her sister GEORGIA and her father DANIEL took over the Admiralty Head
Lighthouse on Whidbey Island. On October 2, 1867, Georgia was married to Charles Townsend Terry
in the lighthouse parlor. The couple had five children.
SARAH CHENEY, a well-educated young lady who graduated at the head of her Lowell High School
class, was hired to teach art and music at Seattle’s Territorial University, but she was disappointed
to find how few students there were; she therefore left for Port Townsend, where teachers were
needed. There she met and married Captain Charles Willoughby, a widower with a young son. The
Willoughbys had four children.
SARAH JANE GALLAGHER was educated at the Boston Conservatory of Music, where she studied
the organ. After traveling to Seattle, she married Thomas Russell, a carpenter, and became
stepmother to his young daughter, Lulu. She had five additional children. She helped to support the
family by teaching music. In 1887, she built a hotel called the Russell House, the only hotel to survive
the fire of 1889.
LIZZIE ORDWAY, upon her arrival in Seattle, stayed at the home of Henry and Sarah Yesler until
the death of Josie Pearson, when she took over the school on Whidbey Island. Lizzie went on to
teach in Coupeville, Port Madison, Seattle, Port Gamble, and Port Blakely. Always independent
and an outspoken feminist, Lizzie heard Susan B. Anthony speak in Seattle and was inspired to
form a Female Suffrage Society with Mrs. Yesler. The two attempted to persuade the State House of
Representatives to pass a woman’s suffrage bill and were greatly disappointed when the legislators
made changes to their proposal (substituting “male” for “female”) that rendered it meaningless. For
a while, Lizzie abandoned the Northwest to teach at a girls’ school in San Francisco, but by 1874
she had returned. In 1881, she ran for and was elected Kitsap County school superintendant; she
also served on the County Education Board, examining and certifying teachers for the Northwest
area. In 1891, she was instrumental in constructing the Washington state educational exhibit for the
Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.
17 THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
ANTOINETTE JOSEPHINE BAKER was working as a teacher in Lowell when Asa Mercer promised
her a position at Seattle’s Territorial University. She taught there for one term, and then left for
Monticello (now known as Longview) for another teaching job. There she met Edwin Huntingdon
and married him on February 21, 1865. She bore four children. In 1876, the family moved to
Castle Rock in Washington Territory, where Antoinette started the area’s first school, teaching
classes in her home. She also became the first woman to be elected school superintendant of
Cowlitz County.
CATHERINE CLEMENT STEVENS joined Mercer’s group in New York; she was traveling with her
father, Rudolphus Stevens (a butcher who would take up farming in Washington Territory), and
Catherine Stickney, who was her cousin. In 1865, Catherine Stevens married Henry Smith of Port
Townsend. In 1875, she and her husband moved to Victoria in British Columbia, where Smith
ran a steamship called the Etta White for over 20 years. The couple had one son and seven
daughters.
CATHERINE ADAMS STICKNEY had been married in 1858 to a man named Alvah Stickeny in
Townshend, Massachusetts. By 1860, however, they were living apart, and by 1862, they were
divorced and Stickney had married again. In Seattle, she married Walter Graham, a widower
with two sons; they lived in a house on Lake Washington. In 1869, Catherine died at the age of
33.
AURELIA COLMAN COFFIN, known as “Lillie,” was the daughter of a sailor; When she arrived in
Washington Territory, Lillie found a teaching job in Port Ludlow and in November of 1865 she
married Parker Hinkley, a bookkeeper, in the parlor of the Yesler family. The couple had three
children. Eventually, the family left the Northwest, first going to California, and eventually settling
in Chicago.
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER 18
ACTIVITY
THE MERCER GIRLS GAME: “I’M GOING TO SEATTLE WITH . . .”
The Mercer Girls amused themselves while on board ship by reading, sewing, and playing games
together. The following activity, the sort of game they might have played, is both a memory game
and a traveling game. It can be played by as few as three people or as many as thirty.
The first person starts by stating, “I’m going to Seattle with . . . .” They must finish the sentence with
something they might bring on the trip. For instance, the first statement could be, “I’m going to
Seattle with a toothbrush,” or “I’m going to Seattle with a sleeping bag,” or “I’m going to Seattle with a
copy of Harry Potter.”
The second person must repeat what the first person said and add one item to it: “I’m going to
Seattle with a toothbrush and a string of beads.” The third person might say, “I’m going to Seattle with
a toothbrush, a string of beads, and a calico cat.” The fourth person might say, “I’m going to Seattle
with a toothbrush, a string of beads, a calico cat, and a mirror.” As you can see, the game gets more
difficult as more and more items are added! If a player forgets one of the items or gets them in the
wrong order, he or she must drop out. The last player remaining is the winner.
Have fun!
19 THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
ADVENTURE MUSICAL THEATER
ORIGINAL STUDY GUIDE CONTENT BY
Mary Dellasega
Anya Rudnick
THIS PROGRAM IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
The Boeing Company
Expedia
Loeb Family Charitable Foundation
Russell Investments
Porky Thomsen and Terri Stephenson
Macy's
Jean K. Lafromboise Foundation
Charles B. See Foundation
Perkins Coie
BNSF Railway
Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions
Davis Property & Investment+
Penske+
With additional support from the following donors who support The 5th's efforts to
bring high-quality, educational arts programming to nearly 74,000 youth throughout the
Pacific Northwest each year.
ArtsFund
Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
4Culture
Seattle Foundation
R.B. and Ruth H. Dunn Charitable
Foundation
Alaska Airlines
Protiviti
BDO USA, LLP
David Bernhard
Eric Blom and Min Park
KPMG
Northern Trust
Regence BlueShield
Schultz Family Foundation
DCG One+
(+ denotes in-kind support)
We continually strive to develop educational programs that enrich classroom learning in
all subject areas. We always welcome your comments, suggestions, and concerns.
CONNECT WITH US
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE
1326 5th Avenue, Suite 735
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206-625-1418
Fax: 206-292-9610
Website: www.5thavenue.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/5thave
Twitter: twitter.com/5thAveTheatre
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/
5thAvenueTheatre
[email protected]